Encapsulating packaging cushions, systems and methods, and methods of manufacturing encapsulating packaging cushions

ABSTRACT

A packaging cushion is provided which has a bottom cushion piece, first and second side cushion pieces, a front cushion piece, a rear cushion piece, and a translated top cushion piece. The bottom cushion piece defines a void cavity and front entry portion. The first side cushion piece may be substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece, and the second side cushion piece may be substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and opposite the first side cushion piece. The front cushion piece may be substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and may define an entry space adjacent to the front entry portion. The rear cushion piece may be substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and opposite the front cushion piece. The translated top cushion piece extends from the rear cushion piece and is displaced from the void cavity. The packaging cushion at least partially covers six sides of a product housed therein. Methods of packaging products and methods of manufacturing a one-piece encapsulating packaging cushion using a male mold and a female mold are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to andbenefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/510,523, filed May 24, 2017,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to packaging cushions and packagingsystems, methods of packaging and shipping, and methods of manufacturingpackaging cushions.

BACKGROUND

Cushioning devices for product packaging and shipping are increasinglyneeded as global trade continues to expand. As more complicated andexpensive electronic devices are shipped around the world, there is aneed for more sophisticated and more effective shock absorbingcushioning devices to protect these products during shipping. Butexisting packaging systems that seek to provide more sophisticatedsolutions typically come at the cost of requiring a multi-step packingprocess for transitional packaging.

Some known packaging materials and devices include bubble wrap, airbags, honeycomb cardboard, and polystyrene (styrofoam peanuts). Some ofthese materials are heavy and therefore increase shipping and fuelcosts. Other known packaging materials, such as polystyrene blocks ormolded plastics, are designed and manufactured specifically forparticular products. However, this can be wasteful and unduly expensiveas different specialty materials need to be made for a large variety ofdifferent products and cannot typically be re-used. Other materials suchas air bags and bubble wrap often get destroyed in shipping and cannotbe re-used. Furthermore, many of the plastics and polystyrene materialsare not recyclable or biodegradable.

Many sophisticated electronics devices are fragile and need to beprotected from impact during shipping. Existing solutions to addressproduct fragility during shipping include two-piece packaging cushions.One disadvantage of most two-piece cushions is that they do not protectthe electronic device on all sides. Other packaging solutions, such ascardboard or plastic-based materials, do not provide cushioning on allsides of the electronic device. Packaging solutions such as end caps andtop and bottom caps made of foam are inefficient and waste materials asthey require the use of a complete end cap, or a complete top and bottomtray of foam regardless of the amount of foam actually required toprotect the product during transit. This results in increased materialcosts, increased labor costs, and a significant increase inenvironmental waste.

Accordingly, there is a need for a packaging cushion that protects allsides of electronic devices and similar products. There also is a needfor a packaging cushion that is relatively cheap, easily manufacturedand scalable. There is a need for a packaging cushion that effectivelyand efficiently addresses product fragility. There is also a need for apackaging system that can hold several differently sized products.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure alleviate to a great extent thedisadvantages of known packaging systems and methods by providing aone-piece packaging cushion that fully or partially encapsulates allsides of a product utilizing a void cavity and its translated surface toprovide protection on the opposite surface. In exemplary embodiments,the translated surface provides compression against the productutilizing a variable compression top cushion to securely hold varieddepth products within. The translated surface can be any shape and anysize. The packaging cushion can be made of any moldable foam material,such as molded polyethylene or polypropylene.

Disclosed embodiments improve the protection of products such as, butnot limited to, electronic devices, including smartphones and othermobile phones, tablets, e-readers and the like. The universalityprovided by the variable compression top cushion allows for it to act asa universal packaging solution holding several differently sizedproducts. Instead of a two-piece packaging cushion, exemplaryembodiments protect products on all sides (typically six sides for asmartphone or tablet) without using more material and without theadditional expenses in manufacturing of having two molds or a multi-stepmanufacturing process of bonding one cushion to another.

Exemplary embodiments of a packaging cushion have a bottom cushionpiece, first and second side cushion pieces, a front cushion piece, arear cushion piece, and one or more translated top cushion pieces. Thebottom cushion piece defines a void cavity and an entry portion. Thefirst side cushion piece may be perpendicular to the bottom cushionpiece, and the second side cushion piece may be perpendicular to thebottom cushion piece and opposite the first side cushion piece. Thefront cushion piece may be perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece anddefine an entry space adjacent to the entry portion. The rear cushionpiece may be perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and opposite thefront cushion piece. The translated top cushion piece extends from therear cushion piece and can be parallel to or at any angle to anddisplaced from the void cavity. In exemplary embodiments, the size andshape of the void cavity corresponds to the size and shape of thetranslated top cushion piece.

In exemplary embodiments, the packaging cushion at least partiallycovers six sides of a product housed therein. The translated top cushionpiece may define a void space. The translated top cushion piece maycomprise a variable compression contact surface. In exemplaryembodiments, at least part of one or more of the bottom cushion piece,the translated top cushion piece, and the rear cushion piece is made ofa variable compression material. One or both of the first and secondside cushion pieces may define an access space, and the bottom cushionpiece may define one or more access spaces. In exemplary embodiments,one or both of the first and second side cushion pieces defines one ormore grooves.

Exemplary embodiments include methods of packaging a product forshipping. Exemplary methods include the step of inserting a product intoa packaging cushion by sliding the product through an entry space in afront cushion piece and over an entry portion of a bottom cushion piece.Exemplary packaging methods further include disposing the product in thepackaging cushion such that the product rests on the bottom cushionpiece, substantially covers a void cavity defined in the bottom cushionpiece, and is cabined in by a rear cushion piece perpendicular to thebottom cushion piece and opposite the front cushion piece. In exemplaryembodiments, a first side cushion piece is perpendicular to the bottomcushion piece, and a second side cushion piece is perpendicular to thebottom cushion piece and opposite the first side cushion piece.Exemplary methods include the step of securing the product in thepackaging cushion by providing compression on the product from atranslated top cushion piece extending from the rear cushion pieceparallel to and displaced from the void cavity.

In exemplary embodiments, the securing step comprises providingcompression from a variable compression contact surface of thetranslated top cushion piece. The securing step may further compriseproviding compression from a variable compression material in at leastpart of one or more of the group consisting of the bottom cushion piece,the translated top cushion piece, and the rear cushion piece. Inexemplary embodiments, the product comprises six sides and the disposingstep results in each of the six sides being at least partially coveredby the packaging cushion. Exemplary methods further comprise removingthe product from the packaging cushion by sliding it out over the frontentry portion and through the entry space.

Methods of manufacturing a one-piece encapsulating packaging cushionusing a male mold and a female mold are also disclosed. Exemplarymanufacturing methods comprise forming a void cavity in a bottom cushionpiece and forming a translated top cushion piece parallel to or at anyangle to and displaced from the void cavity using a male mold having araised central surface and a female mold having two spaced raisedlateral surfaces. Exemplary methods further comprise forming a firstside cushion piece perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and asecond side cushion piece perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece andopposite the first side cushion piece using the male mold and the femalemold. Exemplary methods also include forming a front cushion piecesubstantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece using the malemold and the female mold. Exemplary manufacturing methods compriseforming a rear cushion piece substantially perpendicular to the bottomcushion piece and opposite the front cushion piece using the male moldand the female mold. In exemplary embodiments, the packaging cushion ismade so the translated top cushion piece extends from the rear cushionpiece.

In exemplary embodiments, the step of forming the void cavity and thetranslated top cushion piece comprises raising the male mold into aninner depth of the female mold. In exemplary embodiments, the step offorming the void cavity and the translated top cushion piece comprisesraising the female mold into an inner depth of the male mold.Manufacturing methods may further comprise forming a front entry portionin the bottom cushion piece and an entry space in the front cushionpiece adjacent to the front entry portion. In exemplary embodiments, thepackaging cushion is made of a moldable foam material. Exemplarymanufacturing methods further comprise creating a variable compressioncontact surface on the translated top cushion piece.

Accordingly, it is seen that packaging cushions, packaging methods, andmethods of manufacturing packaging cushions are provided which provideimproved protection for electronic devices by fully or partiallyencapsulating all sides of a device utilizing a void cavity and itstranslated surface to provide protection on the opposite surface.Exemplary embodiments securely hold varied depth products in thepackaging cushion. Methods of manufacturing packaging cushions withoutusing more material and without the additional expenses in manufacturingof having two molds or a multi-step manufacturing process of bonding onecushion to another are provided. These and other features and advantageswill be appreciated from review of the following detailed description,along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numbersrefer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects of the disclosure will be apparent uponconsideration of the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a top view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of the packaging cushion of FIG.6A;

FIG. 6C is a top view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6D is a side view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a packaging cushionin accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a side view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a side cross-sectional view of the packaging cushion of FIG.7A;

FIG. 8A is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a packaging cushionin accordance with the present disclosure containing an electronicdevice or other product to be shipped;

FIG. 8B is a side view of the packaging cushion of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a side cross-sectional view of the packaging cushion of FIG.8A;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure containing anelectronic device or other product to be shipped;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a packagingcushion in accordance with the present disclosure containing anelectronic device or other product to be shipped;

FIG. 11A is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a mold usedto manufacture exemplary embodiments of packaging cushions in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 11B is a front cross-sectional view of the mold of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is a perspective view of the mold of FIG. 11A; and

FIG. 11D is a front cross-sectional view of the mold of FIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following paragraphs, embodiments will be described in detail byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, which arenot drawn to scale, and the illustrated components are not necessarilydrawn proportionately to one another. Throughout this description, theembodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, ratherthan as limitations of the present disclosure. As used herein, the“present disclosure” refers to any one of the embodiments describedherein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various aspectsof the disclosure throughout this document does not mean that allclaimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced aspects.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, an exemplary embodiment of a packaging cushionwill be described. An exemplary packaging cushion 10 is a unitary,one-piece cushion with several wholly integrated features. For purposesof description and illustration, some of the parts will be referred toas pieces herein. However, it should be understood that they are notseparate pieces, but rather integrated features of a unitary, one-piecepackaging cushion.

Packaging cushion 10 comprises a bottom cushion piece 12, first andsecond side cushion pieces 14, 16, a front cushion piece 18, a rearcushion piece 20, and a translated top cushion piece 22. In exemplaryembodiments, the first side cushion piece 14, the second side cushionpiece 16, the front cushion piece 18, and a rear cushion piece 20 areeach substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece 12 so thepackaging cushion 10 forms a semi-contained storage space to at leastpartially encapsulate the electronic device or other product beingshipped. However, the first side cushion piece 14, the second sidecushion piece 16, the front cushion piece 18, and the rear cushion piece20 need not be perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece 12, and couldbe at any angle in relation to the bottom cushion piece 12 so long asthe packaging cushion 10 forms a semi-contained storage space to atleast partially encapsulate the electronic device or other product beingshipped. Also for purposes of encapsulating the device, the first andsecond side cushion pieces 14, 16 are located opposite each other at thetwo lateral sides of the packaging cushion 10. Similarly, the front andrear cushion pieces 18, 20 are opposite each other, with the frontcushion piece 18 located at the front end of the packaging cushion 10and the rear cushion piece 20 at the rear end of the packaging cushion10.

In exemplary embodiments, there is a void cavity 24 in the bottomcushion piece 12. This feature advantageously reduces the amount ofmaterial needed to make the protective packaging cushion. In exemplaryembodiments, the translated top cushion piece 22 extends from the rearcushion piece 20 into the interior of the packaging cushion 10. Moreparticularly, the translated top cushion piece 22 may be displaced fromthe void cavity 24 and from the bottom cushion piece 12 and extendparallel to the void cavity 24 and the bottom cushion piece 12. Itshould be noted that the translated top cushion piece 22 can besubstantially parallel to the void cavity 24 or could be disposed at anyangle from the void cavity 24. The translated top cushion piece 22provides the product cushioning protection against shock and serves tokeep the product in place within the packaging cushion 10.

As best seen in FIG. 4, in exemplary embodiments the translated topcushion piece 22 and the void cavity 24 are of a corresponding size andshape. The translated top cushion piece and void cavity may vary in sizeand shape to best suit the product being shipped, and can be any shapeand size. As discussed in more detail herein, the translated top cushionpiece may have a void space. In exemplary embodiments, the translatedtop cushion piece 22 and void cavity 24 are substantially rectangular inshape and have rectangle portion 46 and a narrower extension portion 44at the end of the rectangle portion. This structure provides theadvantage of effectively securing an electronic device with slightlyless cushion material used for the extension portion 44. As discussed inmore detail herein, when the size and shape of the void cavitycorresponds to the size and shape of the translated top cushion piecethe manufacturing process is simplified.

Advantageously, exemplary packaging cushions disclosed herein areone-piece cushions that at least partially cover six sides of anelectronic device or other product housed and shipped therein. As bestseen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bottom cushion piece 12 may have an entryportion 26. In exemplary embodiments, the entry portion 26 is an angledsurface 28 to facilitate sliding entry of the electronic device into thestorage space 30 of the packaging cushion 10. As shown in FIG. 3, anarrow 27 may be provided to show the user the direction of entry of theelectronic device to be shipped. The front cushion piece 18 may have anentry space 32 defined or cut in it adjacent to the entry portion 26 ofthe bottom cushion piece 12. As described in more detail herein, theentry path of the product to be shipped would be placed through theentry space 32, over the entry portion 26, and into the storage space 30such that the product rests on the bottom cushion piece 12 and coversthe void space 24.

As mentioned above, the packaging cushion encapsulates the product by atleast partially covering its six sides. More particularly, the backsurface of the electronic device or other product is at least partiallycovered by the bottom cushion piece 12, the two lateral sides of theelectronic device are at least partially covered by the first and secondside cushion pieces 14, 16, respectively, the top and bottom ends of theelectronic device are at least partially covered by the rear cushionpiece 20 and front cushion piece 18, respectively, and the front surfaceof the electronic device is at least partially covered by the translatedtop cushion piece 22. This encapsulation advantageously encapsulates theproduct being shipped on all sides, providing cushioning for every sideof the product and therefore more effective protection for the product.The bottom cushion piece 12 holds the bottom of the product while thetranslated top cushion piece 22 provides protection on the top of theproduct.

In exemplary embodiments, the translated top cushion piece 22 comprisesa variable compression contact surface 34, which can compress to secureproducts with different thicknesses. More particularly, the underside orcontact surface 34 of the translated top cushion piece 22 may be made ofa variable compression material 35. The contact surface 34 may includeone or more crests 36 and troughs 38. Advantageously, the crests 36 ofthe variable compression contact surface 34 can compress to be even withthe troughs 38 when holding thicker products. The variable compressionsurface is not limited to only the contact surface 34 of the translatedtop cushion piece 22; it can also be utilized on the bottom cushionpiece 12 and other cushion pieces of the packaging cushion 10. Inexemplary embodiments, at least part of the bottom cushion piece 12, thetranslated top cushion piece 22, the front cushion piece 18, the rearcushion piece 20, and/or the first and second side cushion pieces 14, 16is made of a variable compression material. As best seen in FIG. 7C, anexemplary embodiment is illustrated in which the hatched areas show thevariable compression material used in at least part of the bottomcushion piece 12, the translated top cushion piece 22, the front cushionpiece 18, and the rear cushion 20 piece.

In exemplary embodiments, the first side cushion piece 14 and/or thesecond side cushion piece 16 defines an access space 40. Access spaces40 facilitate insertion of the electronic device into the packagingcushion 10 and removal from the packaging cushion 10. More particularly,the access spaces 40 provide the user with easy access to grasp thesides of the device to either guide it into the packaging cushion 10before shipping or pull it out of the packaging cushion 10 aftershipping. As best seen in FIG. 3, the first side cushion piece 14 and/orthe second side cushion piece 16 may define one or more grooves 42 toreduce the amount of material needed to manufacture the packagingcushion 10.

With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, it can be seen that embodiments arescalable and can be sized for various products. In exemplaryembodiments, packaging cushion 110 is sized for tablets or otherelectronic devices larger than typical mobile phones. Packaging cushion110 comprises a bottom cushion piece 112 defining a void cavity 124,first and second side cushion pieces 114, 116, a front cushion piece118, a rear cushion piece 120, and a translated top cushion piece 122.The translated top cushion piece 122 extends from the rear cushion piece120 into the interior of the packaging cushion 110 such that it isdisplaced from the void cavity 124 and from the bottom cushion piece 112and may extends parallel to, or at any other angle to, the void cavity124 and the bottom cushion piece 112.

The bottom cushion piece 112 defines a void cavity 124 that maycorrespond in size and shape to the size and shape of the translated topcushion piece 122. The void cavity 124 is formed as part of the moldingprocess where this void cavity is a result of the translated surface ortop cushion. As best seen in FIG. 5B, the void cavity 124 and translatedtop cushion piece 122 may be of a shape that is advantageous forprotecting a tablet or other similarly-sized electronic device whileusing less packaging material. In exemplary embodiments, the void cavity124 and translated top cushion piece 122 have a substantially triangularportion 144 at each end and a relatively narrow intermediate portion146. The contact surface 134 of the translated top cushion piece 122 maybe made of a variable compression material and may include one or morecrests 136 and troughs 138. The other cushion pieces may also be made ofa variable compression material.

The front cushion piece 118 may have an entry space 132, and the firstside cushion piece 114 and/or the second side cushion piece 116 maydefine access spaces 140 a, 140 b, respectively. In exemplaryembodiments, there are three bottom access spaces 250 in the bottomcushion piece 112, in particular a front access space 250 a which isjoined with the entry space 132, a first lateral access space 250 bjoined with access space 140 a, and a second lateral access space 250 cjoined with access space 140 b to facilitate insertion of the electronicdevice into the packaging cushion 110 and removal from the packagingcushion 110. The first side cushion piece 114 and/or the second sidecushion piece 116 may define one or more grooves 142 to reduce theamount of material needed to manufacture the packaging cushion 110.

It should be noted that the translated top cushion piece does not haveto be solid and can have hollow or void features. Exemplary translatedtop cushion pieces could be different sizes and could have void spacesin the middle. Turning to FIGS. 6A-6D, in exemplary embodiments thetranslated top cushion piece 222 may have a void space 252 definedtherein. An exemplary packaging cushion 210 has a bottom cushion piece212 defining a void cavity 224, first and second side cushion pieces214, 216 defining access spaces 240, a front cushion piece 218 definingan entry space 232, a rear cushion piece 220, and a translated topcushion piece 222 extending from the rear cushion piece 220. The topcushion piece 222 is displaced from the void cavity 224 and from thebottom cushion piece 212 and extends parallel to, or at any angle to,the void cavity 224 and the bottom cushion piece 212.

The bottom cushion piece 212 defines a void cavity 224 that correspondsin size and shape to the size and shape of the translated top cushionpiece 222. In exemplary embodiments, the void cavity 224 and thetranslated top cushion piece 222 are substantially rectangular. Asubstantially rectangular void space 252 is defined in the translatedtop cushion piece 222. The void space 252 is substantially the sameshape as the translated top cushion piece 222 but smaller such that theedges of the translated top cushion piece 222 form a rectangular ringaround the void space 252. This structure of the translated top cushionpiece 222 advantageously provides protection for the product beingshipped while allowing the user to see a substantial portion of theproduct housed in the packaging cushion and reducing the amount ofpackaging material needed.

In operation, the user inserts the electronic device or other product 5to be shipped into the packaging cushion 10, 110, 210 by sliding theproduct 5 through the entry space 32, 132, 232 in the front cushionpiece 18, 118, 218 of the packaging cushion. This process is illustratedin FIGS. 7A-7C, 8A-8C, 9 and 10. The user than continues to slide theproduct 5 over the front entry portion 26, 126, 226 of the bottomcushion piece 12, 112, 212 until it is disposed in the packaging cushion10, 110, 210. If helpful, the user can utilize access spaces 40, 140,240 and/or bottom access spaces 250 to make insertion of the electronicdevice 5 into the packaging cushion 10, 110, 210 easier. Moreparticularly, when fully disposed in the packaging cushion 10, 110, 210,the electronic device 5 rests on the bottom cushion piece 12, 112, 212,covering the void cavity 24, 124, 224.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, 9 and 10, the packaging cushion 10 encapsulatesthe product 5, illustrated here as a cell phone, by at least partiallycovering its six sides. More particularly, the back surface of theelectronic device 5 is at least partially covered by the bottom cushionpiece 12, 112, 212, the two lateral sides of the electronic device areat least partially covered by the first and second side cushion pieces14, 114, 214, 16, 116, 216, respectively, the top and bottom ends of theelectronic device are at least partially covered by the rear cushionpiece 20, 120, 220 and front cushion piece 18, 118, 218, respectively,and the front surface of the electronic device is at least partiallycovered by the translated top cushion piece 22, 122, 222. The product 5is secured in the packaging cushion 10, 110, 210, by the variablecompression surface 34, 134, which compresses to hold the product inplace. As best seen in FIG. 8C, additional securing of the product couldbe provided by compression from a variable compression material 35 on orwithin the bottom cushion piece 12, the translated top cushion piece 22,the front cushion piece 18, and the rear cushion piece 20.

Upon arrival at its destination, the person receiving the product 5 canremove it from the packaging cushion by sliding it out over the over thefront entry portion 26, 126, 226 of the bottom cushion piece 12, 112,212 and through the entry space 32, 132, 232 in the front cushion piece18, 118, 218 of the packaging cushion. If helpful, the person removingthe product 5 can utilize access spaces 40, 140, 240 and/or bottomaccess spaces 250 to make removal from the packaging cushion 10, 110,210 easier.

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11D, exemplary methods of manufacturing packagingcushions will now be described. In general, exemplary manufacturingmethods utilize a male mold 302 located on the bottom and a female mold304 at the top. Depending on the cushion design, the male and femalemolds could be oppositely configured. The male mold 302 extends up pastthe female mold 304 thus creating the void cavity 24 and the translatedtop cushion piece 22. More particularly, the raised or translated topcushion piece 22 is formed by raising the male mold 302 into the innerdepth of the female mold 304 or with a mold where the female mold 304 israised past the inner depth of the male mold 302 thus creating the voidcavity 24 of the finished cushion 10. Alternatively, the translated topcushion piece 22 is formed by raising the female mold into an innerdepth of the male mold. In exemplary embodiments, the packaging cushion10 is made of a moldable foam material.

Exemplary methods of manufacturing a one-piece encapsulating packagingcushion comprise forming a bottom cushion piece 12, forming a voidcavity 24 in the bottom cushion piece 12, and forming a translated topcushion piece 22. The bottom surface 332 of the male mold 302 forms thebottom cushion piece 12. In exemplary embodiments, the translated topcushion piece 22 is formed parallel to and displaced from the voidcavity 24. This is done by using a male mold 302 that has a raisedcentral surface 322 and a female mold 304 that has two spaced raisedlateral surfaces 330. The raised central surface 322 of the male mold302 forms the void cavity 24 in the bottom surface 12 of the packagingcushion 10 and facilitates formation of the translated top cushion piece22 of the packaging cushion 10. The spaced raised lateral surfaces 330of the female mold 304 define a central portion that helps withformation of translated top cushion piece 22. In exemplary embodiments,the manufacturer would create a variable compression contact surface onthe translated top cushion piece 22 or make the translated top cushionpiece 22 out of a variable compression material.

The manufacturer uses the male mold 302 and female mold 304 to form thefirst side cushion piece 14 and the second side cushion piece 16substantially perpendicular to or at another desired angle to the bottomcushion piece 12 and opposite the first side cushion piece 14. The firstand second side cushion pieces 14 and 16 are formed by the mating of thefirst and second side walls 314, 316 of the male mold 302 with the firstand second side walls 314′, 316′ of the female mold 304. Moreparticularly, the first and second side cushion pieces 14 and 16 areformed in the spaces created between the first and second side walls314′, 316′ and the spaced raised lateral surfaces 330 of the female mold304. The manufacturer also forms the front cushion piece 18substantially perpendicular to or at another desired angle to the bottomcushion piece 12 using the front wall 318 of the male mold 302 matedwith the female mold 304. Similarly, the rear cushion piece 20 is formedsubstantially perpendicular to or at another desired angle to the bottomcushion piece 12 and opposite the front cushion piece 18 using the rearwall 320 of the male mold 302 mated with the female mold 304. Thestructure of the rear wall 320 and the raised central surface 322 of themale mold 302 results in the translated top cushion piece 22 extendingfrom the rear cushion piece 20 of the packaging cushion 10.

The male and female molds could be structured to form additionalfeatures such as a front entry portion 26 in the bottom cushion piece12, an entry space 32 in the front cushion piece 18, access spaces 40,140, 240 and/or bottom access spaces 250, one or more grooves 42 in thefirst side cushion piece 14 and/or the second side cushion piece 16.Alternatively, one or more of these additional features could be createdlater in the process by machining or other methods.

Packaging cushions and methods described herein can be used for a widevariety of products and applications in a wide variety of industries.For example, they could be used for consumer electronics, for which thereduced costs, increased protection level, reusability, recyclability,and potential biodegradability would be advantageous. In medicalpackaging applications, the cleanliness, efficiency, and reusabilitywould be particularly advantageous. For retail packaging, the reducedcosts, would be advantageous. The cushions' scalability, reduced costs,and reusability would be particularly advantageous for industrial uses.In the automotive industry, the reduced costs, reusability, andscalability would be advantageous. For shipping glass, the reducedcosts, better protection level, and reusability would be particularlyadvantageous. For safety equipment, the cushions' higher degree ofimpact protection, edge and corner protection, and personal impactprotection would be advantageous.

Thus, it is seen that packaging cushions and related methods areprovided. It should be understood that any of the foregoingconfigurations and specialized components or may be interchangeably usedwith any of the apparatus or systems of the preceding embodiments.Although illustrative embodiments are described hereinabove, it will beevident to one skilled in the art that various changes and modificationsmay be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure.It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece packaging cushion comprising: abottom cushion piece defining a void cavity and an entry portion; afirst side cushion piece connected to and substantially perpendicular tothe bottom cushion piece and a second side cushion piece connected toand substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and oppositethe first side cushion piece; a front cushion piece connected to andsubstantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion piece and defining anentry space adjacent to the entry portion; a rear cushion piececonnected to and substantially perpendicular to the bottom cushion pieceand opposite the front cushion piece; and a translated top cushion piecehaving a solid portion and being connected to and extending from therear cushion piece into the interior of the packaging cushion parallelto and displaced from the void cavity, the translated top cushion pieceand void cavity being substantially rectangular in shape and having arectangle portion and a narrower extension portion at the end of therectangle portion such that the size and shape of the solid portion ofthe translated top cushion piece corresponds to the size and shape ofthe void cavity.
 2. The packaging cushion of claim 1 wherein thetranslated top cushion piece comprises a variable compression contactsurface.
 3. The packaging cushion of claim 1 wherein at least part ofone or more of the group consisting of the bottom cushion piece, thetranslated top cushion piece, and the rear cushion piece is made of avariable compression material.
 4. The packaging cushion of claim 1wherein the packaging cushion at least partially covers six sides of aproduct housed therein.
 5. The packaging cushion of claim 1 wherein oneor both of the first and second side cushion pieces defines an accessspace.
 6. The packaging cushion of claim 1 wherein the bottom cushionpiece defines one or more access spaces.
 7. The packaging cushion ofclaim 1 wherein one or both of the first and second side cushion piecesdefines one or more grooves.
 8. The packaging cushion of claim 1 whereinthe translated top cushion piece defines a void space.